Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. We are at a time when schools are facing budget shortfalls and need to either cut services or programs. I really do not understand why ECE does not allow for budget surpluses to be carried over and utilized by schools at the start of a new fiscal year. Presently, when the fiscal year is coming to an end, and there happens to be monies left over that was not spent, it is mandatory for all school boards to hand back all of their money to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, or to the FMB, depending on the surplus amount.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly disagree with this way of doing business. I believe that we could be better utilizing our leftover education dollars. Why not allow schools to spend this leftover money to use how they see fit? After all, these allocated funds were budgeted for their use, so I don't see why we can't allow them to carry over any unspent money into the new fiscal year.

If schools were able to carry over these surplus funds and spend it as they saw fit, I believe that our schools would be better off because of it. Just think of it. Schools would be in a better position to plan for long-term spending on things like new support staff, funding bus services, or for simply buying new classroom supplies, such as computers for students.

In closing, we had this scathing auditor general report on education in the North. I think that we need to be innovative, and we need to use the spirit of our youth to assist in whatever we can. With that, I will have some questions for the appropriate Minister in a short while. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Further to my comments from my Member's statement on February 6, 2020, I wish to table the Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation's caribou stewardship plan. It is titled "Yunethe Xa Etthen Hadi." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Today, I am going to talk about medical travel in the NWT. I feel like a broken record, but I feel like I need to drive this point home.

Since taking office, I have already dealt with several medical travel-related issues with constituents, and with each passing case, I am seeing the same issue come up again and again. I am seeing cases where people are dealing with some fairly serious medical issues and are in need of further assistance, so they are sent to Yellowknife or Edmonton for treatment. Doctors will recommend a medical escort; however, our medical travel personnel are denying medical escorts in the vast majority of cases I have seen so far.

In most of these cases, it is elderly people who require medical travel services, and of the cases I have seen, English is almost always the patient's second language. Right there, we have two strong reasons for why patients in these cases should be approved for medical escorts. We also have to consider the state of mind and body that some of these patients may be in when being sent for medical travel purposes. It can be a daunting and stressful experience when being sent alone to a strange place while undergoing serious medical issues. As well, I am hearing first-hand accounts of people being denied a medical escort, even when a doctor recommends that an escort be provided for the patient.

Mr. Speaker, I understand that our government is trying to cut costs where they can, and I believe they are doing it to the detriment of the needs of our constituents when it comes to medical travel and medical escorts. I hope to see more compassion on this policy front over the course of this Assembly. This area is in need of review, and I know that this issue affects all regions of the NWT, not only mine.

In closing, patients in care deserve the best care possible and patients need to be informed of what's going on with their bodies, and these policy gaps put lives at risk. There are language barriers there that need to be addressed immediately, and I am hoping that the Minister of Health and Social Services can speak to that a bit. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services shortly. Marci cho.

With those four monitors that LKDFN had, I am just wondering if the Minister can make any commitment to the LKDFN to help fund those positions?

I know that there are two ENR-monitored stations, but there are still a lot of hunters who are not checking in or reporting their harvest. What is the Minister going to do to ensure that proper reporting is met?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As mentioned in my Member's statement, there has been a severe decline of the Bathurst herd in Lutselk'e, and over-hunting is a concern that they had. They hired four staff to help address this. This area in question is quite a large area, and I have a question for the Minister of ENR. What is the Minister's plan to assist the Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation with the issue of over-hunting in their region? Mahsi.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. I am proud to let the House know that the Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation is implementing a two-year self-imposed moratorium on hunting the Bathurst caribou herd. This was just announced yesterday, and it will be a stewardship plan led by the community members. The plan is called Yunethe Xa Etthen Hadi. Directly translated, this means "the future of our caribou" in Denesuline.

As everyone is well aware, there has been a severe decline in the Bathurst caribou herd population over the years. The GNWT even went as far as to ban harvesting caribou in its mobile hunting areas since 2015.

Mr. Speaker, what will this initial implementation look like, of this hunting moratorium? Well, the Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation have hired four full-time Nihat'ni Dene Rangers in order to, as the name suggests, watch over and monitor the land, wildlife, and visitors. This will include hunters within the Thaidene Nene protected areas.

I would like to congratulate Chief Darryl Marlowe and the LKDFN for taking the initiative and protecting this caribou herd for future generations. I sincerely hope that other First Nations will take notice and follow suit, and I hope that this government will support endeavours such as these.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to leave with a quote from Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation's caribou stewardship plan that speaks to the LKDFN values and love for the caribou, and I hope it resonates with you.

"Etthen huretth'a; the caribou are listening to us. We shouldn't talk too much about Etthen; they are listening to us. We must speak good words for them, and we must help protect them. The Etthen have their own natural laws and, as such, we have to respect the ways of the Etthen and all other life forms."

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. That will be all for now. I will have some questions for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources later.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk about the saddening treatment that a few of my constituents experience when it comes to mobility access. Recently, I had a constituent in particular who had been lobbying the government for quite some time in an effort to build a wheelchair ramp for their home. This constituent is an elder, and I find it very upsetting that she and others like her struggle to find assistance from our government departments. What was further disturbing was the lack of a department to take the reins and help. There's a lot of back and forth and denial, which really saddened me.

Mr. Speaker, I just find these situations very frustrating because help is within reach for cases like these, but bureaucratic barriers at almost every step of the way seem to prevent assistance from being delivered.

Mr. Speaker, our government departments across the board need to re-evaluate service delivery when it comes to elders, especially elders with mobility issues. It was said dozens of times in past Assemblies that allowing elders to age in place and keeping them in their own homes for as long as possible has been a priority for everybody. However, as it stands today, I am having trouble believing that statement. This is a new government, and we have a new Premier and a new Cabinet. I realize there is room for changes to be made in this area.

Mr. Speaker, mobility issues affect some of the most vulnerable populations we serve. Hopefully, we as a government can deliver top-notch services wherever they are needed, regardless of the department.

Being raised by a great-grandmother, I know if I ever got out of line, she would give me a good ear twisting, a good earful. I would like to speak on behalf of my great-grandmother, and let's get it together and do what we can to help our elders. Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for the response from the Minister. My last question: will the Minister commit to having a homecare nurse in Deninu Kue? Mahsi cho.